Summerfest: Modest Headwear Proposal

If you're going to a country show at Summerfest, we humbly suggest you consider not wearing a view-obstructing cowboy hat.

Published On: March 25, 2023

This year’s Summerfest lineup has finally dropped, and aside from hardcore death metal fans, there is something for everyone. Since it’s impossible to account for the tastes of an entire state, you can decide for yourself where the full roster of artists falls on the Sucks-Amazing Spectrum, but it’s generally been well received.

Contemplating the lineup did bring to mind one concern for fans in attendance. Specifically those partial to country music. Cowboy hats.

After a confounding series of wrong turns on the way to Kwik Trip recently, the Drink Wisconsinbly Week in Review Editorial Board found itself at a daylong music festival outside of Austin, Texas. It was an enjoyable event except for one thing: just when you’d find a good sight line to the stage, some jamoke in a big cowboy hat would post up in front of you, blocking the view.

Now, it is Texas, so that sartorial choice shouldn’t come as a surprise. But, after surveying the parking lot, it’s clear that very few of those hat-wearers came to the show on horseback. The hats were purely for the sake of fashion.

So, if you’re going to a country show at Summerfest, we humbly suggest you consider not wearing a view-obstructing cowboy hat. The festival doesn’t begin until June 22nd, so you have plenty of time to land on a hairstyle that will make you look equally cool.

We’re not suggesting you throw away your cowboy hat; just leave it in the car. Or maybe get one of those strings where you hang it on your back during the show so the people behind you can see.